JCHC Board Gets Positive First Quarter 2012 Report

Johnson County Healthcare Center's Board of Trustees heard a mostly positive quarterly report from Administrator Sandy Ward from the Performance Improvement System and Patient Safety Program.

During the first quarter, Ward said the healthcare center had no complications from anesthesia, surgery or transfusion reactions. There were minimal medication error rates in both the hospital and the care center.

The care center had 45 reports of residents falling during the quarter which resulted in 5 minor injuries.

The healthcare center as a whole had 252 patient safety incidents, of which 242 resulted in no harm to the patient, 10 were classified as “mild to marginal harm.”

Two Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) complaint surveys were conducted during the quarter, which is the first time the healthcare center has had an EMTALA complaint.

EMTALA is a federal law that requires anyone coming to an emergency department to be stabilized and treated, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

The two complaint surveys were conducted by a Federal surveyor and another from the State Board of Health, and Ward said results from their findings were a few months out.

The JCHC could face fines of up to $40,000 per incident if found in violation, he said.